Zanzibar House Boutique Hotel

I had a lovely stay at Zanzibar House for 10 nights - if you’re looking for a place to relax away from the crowds, this is it! It’s a beautiful spot overlooking the beach. As there are only 7 rooms, it felt like a home from home - the family who own the place were lovely & friendly and the staff were excellent, they were on hand for anything you needed. The masseuse was superb - I highly recommend a massage. The family organised multiple day trips for me & kindly took the time to talk me through available options. The room was large with a massive balcony - it was clean and housekeeping visited twice a day. Dinner was a four course meal every night, with generous portions - the octopus carpaccio and fish ravioli were real highlights. Thank you Maxi & Miria, I had a wonderful stay!

t's taken me a long time to write this review, but it's never too late. When I first arrived at the hotel, I found it quaint, pretty, and very unusual. Within a week, I had totally fallen in love with the place. Literally right on the beach, I could take walks in either direction, leading to various locations—from beachside massages to enjoying drinks in the local pubs. The hotel offered a wonderful view of the ocean, which was a delight. The evening food was spectacular, truly incredible, and hard to compare. I'm not referring to the daytime snacks, but to the exquisite meals cooked in the evening. The room was comfortable and airy, and the people were absolutely dynamic. If I could give it a 5-plus rating, I would. Don't miss this quirky, incredible, and artsy hotel on your journey!

We stayed at Zanzibar House for 4 nights during our vacation in Zanzibar. The intimate 7 bedroom hotel has a beautiful location and the beach is private and secluded. The rooms are very comfortable, well-appointed, and have gorgeous views of the sea from large, wooden balconies. The local staff are friendly, hospitable, and go out of their way to meet your every need if they are able to. The in-house massage therapist is incredible and the pool was lovely. However, after reading a number of positive reviews before arriving at the hotel, we were disappointed in the management of the hotel as well as the quality of food. The reviews paint a seductive picture of the Italian family who owns Zanzibar House, and we were expecting a warm Italian welcome and delicious Italian and Swahili-inspired food as advertised. This was not the case and throughout our stay, the owners did not greet, engage, or communicate with us at all and we were left disappointed at meal times which (we believe) were below average. We had thankfully only booked breakfast, which was mediocre at best (filter coffee charged at an additional cost), but after two (additional) disastrous meals (a dinner and a lunch), we ate at various hotels a few meters walk down the beach front for the rest of our stay. In our opinion, there appeared to be a general disinterest in guests (unless you happened to be Italian) and the family rarely left their sleeping and dining quarters if only to attend to a group of friends who appeared to be visiting them. This was a huge disappointment as the reviews and the hotel website advertise treating their guests like family. Upon leaving, the hotel also charged us an additional $8 "city tax" (per day) over and above the obligatory $1 for infrastructure tax, which, by law, should not be paid by guests, but by the operator: Zanzibar House. We also recommend checking your bill carefully as there were a number initial errors. Overall we enjoyed our stay in Zanzibar as we are generally quite adaptable people, but it would have been even better had our time in Zanzibar House been more hospitable and we were made to feel welcome. We never met the chef but he or she appears to need guidance. It's difficult to say whether we would recommend this hotel to travellers, as with a few changes, this could really be a top vacation spot.